


SPN Character Analysis

by Id_flyifihad_wings



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Analysis, Character Analysis, Spoilers, in depth analysis
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-19
Updated: 2018-04-19
Packaged: 2019-04-25 03:04:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14369514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Id_flyifihad_wings/pseuds/Id_flyifihad_wings
Summary: In depth looks into the minds of the beloved characters of Supernatural.





	SPN Character Analysis

**Author's Note:**

> If you’d like a certain character to be featured, leave me a comment below! 
> 
> I hope you enjoy, and I'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions as well.
> 
> Also I’m so sorry for not posting the most recent chapter of Two Steps. I didn’t finish the chapter, and when I saw Gabriel return I absolutely had to do this analysis of his character. He’s always intrigued me so much.

The Archangel Gabriel - In Depth

I’m beyond excited to see my favorite whiskey-eyed, sarcastic, smooth-talking archangel return. Until I realized what Asmodeus had done to him. Gabriel is by far my absolute favorite side character. He appeared in five episodes, and they were all my favorite of their respective season. When he died, I was devastated. 

And then he came back in season ten, presumably Metatron in disguise, to persuade Castiel to stop fighting. Whatever would happen was inevitable. That didn’t sound like the Gabriel I knew and loved, and something about it didn’t sit right with me. 

And after learning of his story and how he came to be in Asmodeus’s “possession”, I understand why. 

Let’s start out with his first appearance as the Trickster. Tall Tales was by far my favorite episode of season two. It was funny in light of all the darkness going on, with Sam and Dean dealing with John’s death and Dean only recently admitting to his brother what he’d promised to do for their dad (plus poor Baby had been wrecked and under works during Everybody Loves a Clown). 

In Tall Tales, Gabriel was parading around as a lowly Trickster, a pagan god with a sweet tooth and a penchant for giving people their “just desserts” as Dean said. And he’s a janitor. 

This guy is an all-powerful thing of heaven, with wings, healing powers, and all manners of other things. And he’s got a job as a janitor. Why? The obvious conclusion is he’s averting attention away from him. He doesn’t want his family to know where he is, what he’s doing, or what he looks like. Still, of all the menial types of jobs, why a janitor? 

Janitors are cleaners. They wipe up messes. They clean spills and stains and everything in between. One major thing Gabriel mentioned in Changing Channels was that his family is dysfunctional. The “Apocalypse is what [he] calls Sunday dinner.” They’re broken. And Gabriel just wants it to be over. In his mind, he’s the one responsible for cleaning up the mess. He’s the youngest of four brothers, and it’s his “role” to be the one who cleans everything up. Lucifer “smash[ed] up all [God’s] toys,” being his creation.

And then he goes in with this dig, “Then he brought the new baby home and you couldn't handle it. So all of this is just a great big temper tantrum. Time to grow up.” He’s speaking literally to Lucifer. In his mind, it’s more directed at himself. He was the new baby that God “brought home,” and he was instantly ridiculed for that very fact. He was undermined because he was young. He was determined to grow up and to earn the respect he deserved, and in order to do that he had to grow up and clean the disasters his big brothers left behind. 

And when he flees to earth, he stays in that role of cleaning up other people’s messes. It’s all he knows how to do, and he keeps doing it because he’s good at it. It’s a way for him to keep the connection to his family without actually needing them physically near him. 

In the end, he summons two strapping women to fight in his stead. They’re strippers, even if they’re just illusions. We all know this. Dean has the same coping mechanism, but with alcohol. Gabriel uses the company of strippers and porn stars to fill the hole left behind by his family. It’s an escape, an addiction, and it’s one he truly believes he needs to function properly. 

In Mystery Spot, he’s still parading as the Trickster. He puts Sam and Dean into a Groundhog Day repeat. Except much gorier (the chances of Sam accidentally killing Dean while wrestling over an ax is apparently 1/100... but only on a Tuesday). 

Point being, Gabriel is trying to teach Sam a lesson. How to survive without Dean. He knows he’s going to hell. Season three is the shortest one, coming in at a whopping 16 episodes. And this entire episode is dedicated to teaching Sam how to live without his big brother. 

Gabriel is all about family. He tells Sam he’s helping him. And he is, even if it’s cruel. Because he knows Dean’s death will be cruel. He knows he’ll be ripped to pieces and dragged to hell, and he wants to prepare Sam for the sudden loss he’s going to face. It’s honestly really sweet, in his own messed up way. He doesn’t want Sam to suffer like he did when losing his family. He wants Sam to be able to cope without the brother he’s dependent on. He goes about it in an awful way (Sam and Dean get pretty vengeful when it comes to family), but it’s all for a good cause.

Changing Channels is the first time we find out he is actually an archangel. He’s surprised that Sam and Dean have caught on. Even keeping Castiel away from them wasn’t enough to trick them. The way he greets Cas is absolutely adorable, until we delve deeper.

“Hi, Castiel!” His voice is childish, excited, but his eyes show the fear he’s kept hidden for so long. Here is part of his family, the one he’s been avoiding for who knows how long, and he’s with the Winchesters. 

He’s terrified that Castiel will report back to their family where he is. He doesn’t know that Cas has basically turned his back on heaven and fell to stay with the brothers. 

Still, he wants Sam and Dean to “play their roles.” Dean as Michael, and Sam as Lucifer. Even hiding from his family he’s cleaning up their mess. This has to happen, his brothers have to fight because that’s how his dad made it. 

In my opinion, Gabriel is the only archangel that understands his father’s motive. Michael and Lucifer are doing this out of obligation and because they hate each other, they want to destroy each other and don’t care who gets hurt. 

Gabriel is different. Maybe because he’s the youngest, or because he’s spent the longest time on earth hanging around humans. He loves them, he cherishes them, like his father wanted. Changing Channels is the first time we really see Gabriel as the youngest archangel. He’s upset, he accuses God of leaving them behind. He pretends he doesn’t care, but the flash of absolute defeat and hopelessness when he glanced to the ground is so revealing. He looks young and scared, his foreboding figure is closed into itself now. It was the first time for me that I noticed how truly small Gabriel is. His attitude is so large that I never realized how tiny he was, until this one moment where he’s trapped in that circle of holy oil. 

His attitude disappears. He’s no longer shooting sarcastic comments at either brother, he’s being truthful. And the amount of pain in his eyes when he finally admits he’s Gabriel is palpable even through the TV screen. He’s spent so long hiding from what and who he truly is, and these two “muttonchops” screwed everything up. 

And Dean’s passionate message of Gabe being afraid of standing up to his family obviously hit a chord in the archangel’s mind. Because he knows Dean is right. It’s exactly why he left heaven behind and found himself something new. He was afraid, and still is. 

When he arrives again in Hammer of the Gods, it’s obvious he’s trying. The other gods seem him as Loki, and he even takes away the Winchester’s ability to speak to keep up the game. It seems like he’s once again running from who he is, but it’s just the opposite. He needs information from these people, who he deems as family. 

They took him in when his own family didn’t want him. They trust him, but they won’t if they discover he’s been lying to them for centuries. So Sam and Dean are shut up until he gets what he needs. 

He hides out in the Impala at the mention of Lucifer, once again showing his youth and vulnerability. He tried to convince everyone including himself that he’s not afraid, but it’s lie. This scene shows that fear to a tee. He can’t face Lucifer, let him kill everyone. 

This is of course after he lets Kali stab him with a fake angel blade. He’s back to his Trickster ways, already, to protect the gods he sees as his family. 

He argues with Dean about all the reasons he can’t face his brother. He’s family. It’s just like Dean facing Sam even as he’s possessed by Lucifer. It’s family. Dean once again calls him a coward.

Gabriel can’t have that. He’s no coward, he spent years cleaning up after his brothers. He’s afraid, yes, but he’s no coward. He’s an all-powerful being, he’s no coward. 

Here we get insight straight in his head. He comes back to protect Kali. But he reveals to Lucifer that that’s not the true reason. 

It’s humans. It’s people. Their father’s creation. 

They’re “flawed”, but “they always try”, and that’s all he cares about. They give effort, they do everything they can to succeed. It’s revealed how he cherishes them. Lucifer is bewildered by Gabe’s new revelation, he’s disgusted. Humans are flawed and capable of nothing but evil. Gabriel doesn’t care. He loves them without question, and the fact that the Winchesters are there only further motivates him. 

They are his prime example of humans. They always try, they are good, they always do their best to succeed and they do. He can understand why Cas stays with them instead of returning to heaven. And then Lucifer betrays him, kills him in cold blood. He even has the audacity to say he’s sorry. 

It’s simple, but poignant. His wings are spread out behind him, like all other angels when they die. It’s over quickly, but it seems to last a lifetime. 

He’s proven his bravery, he stood up to Lucifer in favor of humanity. He was afraid, but he did it regardless. He’s proven that he’s far more complex than he’s let on. He’s no longer a 2D character going around tricking people to get a laugh. He’s the archangel Gabriel, and he’s no longer afraid of the title. 

For five seasons, Gabriel is dead. He was killed by Lucifer, Sam and Dean witnessed his death. 

This time though, he comes to Castiel. He fabricates the entire ruse, and is apparently on Metatron’s side. But he’s not. As of season 13, we know Gabriel was being tortured by Asmodeus for years. Season ten Gabriel isn’t our Gabriel.

He’s a fabrication made by Metatron. It isn’t evident at first. In fact, even at the end it isn’t evident. Not until he leaves. Cas of course notices the continuity error, his trench coat no longer ripped from earlier (I love that they addressed this, because it’s kind of hilarious). 

If it was a ruse made by Metatron, Gabriel would’ve left. But he doesn’t. This leads many people to believe it’s truly Gabriel. But it’s not. 

Gabriel is being tortured at this point. Metatron didn’t take into account that Gabriel is an archangel. He has wings. He can fly. 

Instead of flying away, he dissipates away. No flapping wings, nothing like that. Therein lies the truth. Gabriel would’ve flown away, it’s fast and efficient and it’s easier. 

It’s in this simple way that Metatron completely screws up. Castiel doesn’t notice, he’s too busy calling angels to realize the mistake. 

Metatron is God’s scribe, he knows the basics of Gabriel. He knows how he would respond to a situation, and what he would say. He doesn’t seem to realize that Gabriel will always fly if he can. Even as a Trickster, he seemingly disappears in thin air. We don’t get the wing flaps, but we aren’t supposed to know about angels in season two or three. 

On his rather anticlimactic return in episode 13 of season 13, we see a battered, beaten Gabriel, with shaggy hair and his lips sewn shut.

Gabriel is like Dean. He uses his sarcasm to cope, to interact with things he deems too much to handle. His mouth being sewn shut is super symbolic. It’s not just about losing his ability to speak, he’s lost his ability to cope. 

His sarcasm stems from his own insecurities, and he can no longer use this to pretend he’s fine. His spirit is broken. He’s terrified of the smallest thing. 

Ketch frees him in episode 18, and he backs away with muffled screaming as he reaches for him. He’s just been liberated, and he can’t see past his own terror to realize this. Even when Ketch kills a demon, he’s scared. He struggled against him, he’s broken. He likely held on to his spirit until the day Asmodeus took away his speech. 

He was beaten and tortured every day, and he was likely fine until that. And when Asmodeus started taking his grace (which if Sam’s experience with Gadreel’s grace is anything to go on, is insanely painful) for his own uses, he’s suddenly unable to heal his wounds. Now the torture is real. He can no longer restore himself, now he goes in each day already battered. 

Even in the presence of Sam, he finds solace in his own mind. The stitches at his mouth are gone, but he doesn’t say a word. He won’t even speak to Castiel, his own family. His own blood. 

He writes his story on the wall. We find out he tricked Lucifer, he never truly died. It was all an illusion. It seems cowardly. 

But it’s the most intelligent and interesting thing he’s ever done. He knew for a fact Lucifer would kill him, so he sent a projection. What better way to watch over his two favorite humans without them knowing? 

And of course the porn stars. Not surprising. 

Cas doesn’t even realize how serious his torture is until he tries coercion to get the grace back in him. He screams. His own brother terrifies him. He huddles in the corner and rocks back and forth like a scared child. Again we see the youth inside Gabriel, his need for comfort. Yet he’s unable to receive it. He’s despondent. 

He believes that he deserves it. He deserves what he’s getting, because a part of him thinks he should be punished. He deserves this. 

Sam’s passionate speech about nearly the same thing as Dean in Changing Channels is what breaks Gabriel’s intense self-loathing. 

Except Sam admits Gabriel is needed. “I need you.” It’s something Gabriel has never experienced. He was never wanted, and was certainly never told he was wanted. It’s a new feeling, and it’s something he appreciates. It’s why he finally speaks up. It’s why he allows Sam to hear him. 

He says nothing of his time with Asmodeus. It’s a correction, “they were porn stars, Sam.” It’s ridiculous and completely off topic, but it’s 100% Gabriel. It’s something he would easily say. His humor is the same. His sarcasm is the same. 

His mind is not. It’s broken, completely destroyed. When he hears Asmodeus’s voice on the phone, you can see his sudden change in demeanor. He closes on to himself, arms bracing his body on the bed. He scoots back until he’s against the wall. Nothing can sneak up on him this way, he feels safer. 

And when Asmodeus breaks in and two demons grab him, he’s barely struggling. He yells as if his mouth were still sewn shut, doesn’t say a word. It’s not until Asmodeus is nearly killing Sam and Cas (his family) that he reacts. His eyes light up and he throws the demons off him like they’re nothing. 

And Asmodeus sneers at him, “you’re not strong enough.” He knows he’s back, he can feel it. It’s a thing he’s said before. To convince Gabriel. But he doesn’t fall for it this time. He’s wanted. He’s needed. Sam needs him, and Cas does too. He can’t let them down.

He restores himself, and obliterates Asmodeus in a raging fire (he’s always hated that suit). He grins, like it’s easy. But his hand quakes. It’s difficult for him, he’s nearly human. But he’s cleaning up his mess, the one that brought Asmodeus here in the first place. Then he comes back down to Sam and Cas. 

And he refuses to help them. He says he’s “not much of a team player.” It’s the biggest lie he’s ever told, to them and himself. 

He was the one getting Sam and Dean on their respective archangels side (their team, you could say). He fought on the team of humanity against Lucifer. He sides with Sam to teach him a lesson. He is a team player. 

What he says has nothing to do with being a team player. He doesn’t believe he can help. He’s useless. He thinks he can do nothing, he’ll just let them all down. It’s a remarkable scene that shows us how truly broken he is. He’s given up. He’s turned his back on them, because he thinks nothing he can do will help. 

He sees himself only as a burden. He can’t clean up this mess. It’s not someone else’s, it’s his own mess, and he doesn’t know the first step to begin. Especially because it’s not something physical, this is all emotional and mental, and he’s not used to dealing with anything of that magnitude. 

He’s an archangel. He doesn’t feel. He doesn’t have feelings. But now he’s broken, and his grace is depleted, and he’s basically human. What I found so telling was the fact that his wings weren’t destroyed. They were intact.

When Cas lost his grace and regained it back, his wings were ragged, feathers falling all over the place. Lucifer could barely even summon his own wings, saying he’s “out of shape.” It can be inferred that his wings are also ragged. They’re broken, and it’s why he can’t fly very far for very long. 

So how are Gabriel’s perfect? They’re intact, he could’ve flown away at any time. But he doesn’t. 

This again goes back to his belief that he deserves the punishment. He let his family down, he abandoned them, and he sided against them. His wings were fine, but he stays regardless. Sam tells him he’s needed, but even if it feels good, he doesn’t believe it. He’s never been needed, so why should that be the case now? He’s so wrapped up in his own doubt and fear that he can’t seem to understand the Winchesters don’t care if he succeeds. 

Like Sam said, Dean “appreciates effort.” Granted, he was speaking to Jack, but it applies to anyone. As long as there is effort shown, the failure or success doesn’t matter. At least, not really. 

In the long run, Gabriel needs someone who understands the nuances of his feelings. Sam is perfect for this job, he gave him the perfect amount of comfort and tough love that Gabriel needed. It just wasn’t enough, because there wasn’t enough time. 

To recover, Gabriel just really needs someone to prove to him he’s needed. Again, Sam is perfect for this job. Before he left, Sam claims he “can’t just leave!” They need him to help defeat Michael, and Sam knows how to reach Gabriel’s soft side. But Gabriel had hardened after years and years of torture. 

He’s no longer our Trickster, or our whiskey-eyed archangel. He’s the archangel Gabriel. Wrathful, angry, broken, and bitter. He’s determined that he’ll be of no help because he’s no longer who he used to be. He’s changed.


End file.
